Majority Chief Whip , Kwame Agbodza Governs, defended Parliament’s reliance on the Speaker’s directives during a press conference, asserting that Parliament operates solely based on communications from the Speaker.
His remarks follows the brewing controversy regarding the separation of powers between the judiciary and Parliament over the suspension of decisions made in the legislative chamber.
Agbodza emphasized that while the Constitution gives the judiciary the power to rule on the consistency of actions with constitutional provisions, Parliament’s decisions are informed by formal communications from the Speaker, not from court judgments or social media speculation.
“We act on the basis of communication from the Right Honourable Speaker. If that communication says we should walk into the sea, we will, because we listen only to the Speaker,” – Agbodza stated, stressing the authority of the Speaker in parliamentary matters.
The discussion surrounding the speaker’s authority draws parallels to a significant ruling made by Speaker Mike Oquaye in 2020.
At the time, many disagreed with his decision, including Agbodza himself. However, a recent commentary from Speaker Bagbin on the constitutional provision Article 97(1)(g) has caused a shift in perception.
Agbodza explained that Bagbin’s arguments on the interpretation of the Article, which deals with parliamentary vacancies, were so convincing that many who previously questioned the ruling have now accepted its validity.
This comes amidst a backdrop of a court directive aimed at suspending a decision by Parliament, further intensifying the debate over whether the judiciary has the jurisdiction to interfere with parliamentary directives.
Agbodza’s defense of the Speaker’s authority, therefore, underscores the internal complexities within Parliament regarding its independence and the potential tension with the judiciary’s interpretations of the Constitution.
Agbodza concluded that while the court may play a role in interpreting the law, Parliament will continue to act based on the Speaker’s instructions, as they believe the Speaker’s decisions align with the spirit of the Constitution.
He further added that, they’ve heard about lives to deploy the Military to Parliament on Tuesday, but they the NDC “majority, Caucus are not moved by any intimidation.
He further added that they will use this majority status to fight for the well-being of Ghanaians.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Ebenezer Madugu